IntroductionAt
$999, the Nova 5.1 speaker system is the entry-level micro system from
Morel, Israel’s leading loudspeaker company. The satellites in this
system are tiny metallic half-spheres that can be mounted anywhere a
softball would fit.

For less than a thousand bucks
(USD), you get five satellites that can fit into the smallest of
spaces, and a powered 10-inch subwoofer. While this is becoming more
and more common, it is still rare to find speakers in this size and
price class that don’t sound like an AM radio broadcast coming out of a
drugstore clock-radio.

In the U.S., the Morel name is not as widely known as it is in Europe,
where it has a considerable and heralded reputation. Morel was founded
over 25 years ago in Israel’s southern region and has been a leading
provider of OEM speaker components in Europe since that time. In the
U.S., Morel offers a variety of different SoundSpot speaker systems,
which are visually identifiable by their spherical enclosure.

The
LI-1 SoundSpot satellites are the entry-level speaker in the SoundSpot
line. Their metal half-sphere enclosures feature a three-and-one-half
inch coaxial driver with a three-quarter-inch voice coil, double magnet
system. The tweeter driver size is a half-inch and has a half-inch
liquid cooled voice coil and neodymium magnet. The speakers are
specified at 100 - 20kHz and 88 dB sensitivity. The metal half-sphere
can be ordered in a variety of colors and sits on a small circular
stand. The back of the sphere, opposite the driver, features small
binding posts that will take spades, pins or bare wire.

The
RS-10A SoundSub is a powered subwoofer with a single 10-inch driver
with built-in 60-watt amplifier. The cabinet measures 18.7 inches wide,
15.7 inches high and eight inches deep. The black cabinet is
reflex-loaded, with a side-firing port. The specified usable frequency
range is 20-140 Hz and the rear panel features high- and low-level
inputs and outputs, continuously adjustable volume and crossover, auto
on/off switch, and a two-position phase switch.Set-up
I first set up a pair of satellites and the RS-10A in my two-channel
system. I placed the satellites on a pair of taller Vantage Point
stands. Due to the extremely small size of these speakers, it may be
necessary to use taller than usual stands to get the tweeters
positioned at ear height. I positioned the stands six feet apart and
three feet from the front wall, with the SoundSpots toed in slightly.
Ultimately, I used the line-level inputs on the SoundSub. More on the
setup on my home theater rig later in the review.